Stimulus Stirs Debate Over Rural Broadband Access

From NPR:

Former FCC economist Michael Katz didn't hesitate to bash rural life last week when he addressed an American Enterprise Institute panel discussion on the broadband elements of President Obama's economic stimulus bill. "Other people don't like to say bad things about rural areas," Katz began. "So I will." The stimulus package includes $7.2 billion to expand broadband Internet access into "underserved" and rural areas. Katz listed ways that the $7.2 billion could be put to better use, including an effort to combat infant deaths. But he also spoke of rural places as environmentally hostile, energy inefficient and even weak in innovation, simply because rural people are spread out across the landscape...Actually, we're strong enough that we don't need your damned old stimulus. You can waste the money elsewhere.